Presented by Erica Shaw, High School History Teacher at the College Now Program, Mt. Diablo Unified School (CA); Elizabeth Colen Mooney, 8th Grade Humanities Teacher, Gateway Middle School (CA); Jessica Fagen, Former Educator, Youth Media and Curriculum Specialist, KQED; and Rachel Roberson, Former Educator, Senior Program Manager, Education Content, KQED
Sponsored by KQED Education
Watch the Introduction and Audio Demo
Watch the Middle and High School Breakouts
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
Welcome to this hands-on workshop, where we unpack the just-released curriculum from KQED Education, Podcasting Democracy: Understanding the Constitution to Inspire Civic Change. You have the opportunity to start creating your own civic audio commentary content to serve as a model for your students. The workshop explores fresh approaches to teaching democracy fundamentals, connecting the founding documents to real life while building students’ civic voice. The edWebinar features two of the social studies educators who co-created the unit, along with KQED’s Jessica Fagen and Rachel Roberson. They share the pilot program’s impact on student learning, motivation, and civic engagement. This free curriculum includes standards-aligned content modules for middle school U.S. history and high school government/civics and history classes.
After a brief introduction, attendees broke into two workshops—one for high school and one for middle school. Viewers:
- Discover how helping students connect their voice to the long tradition of American civic advocacy reinforces historical thinking, content knowledge, and media literacy
- Learn audio production basics and start creating your model podcast
- Leave with loads of free curriculum resources, including daily lesson slides, formative checkpoints, rubrics, and graphic organizers
Please note: If you don’t already have a preferred audio recording tool, please create an account on Soundtrap for Education and sign up for a 30-day free classroom trial. If you choose to extend your 30-day trial for the 2026-27 school year, we tell you a no-cost way to do this during the workshop. If you choose not to continue with Soundtrap, your trial expires with no action needed on your part.
This two-hour podcasting workshop is of interest to grades 6-12 teachers, librarians, school leaders, district leaders, and educator technology leaders.
About the Presenters
Erica Shaw is a high school history teacher at the College Now Program, a partnership dual-enrollment program with Mt. Diablo Unified School District and Diablo Valley College. She has been in the classroom for 18 years and loves to teach about the expansion of civil rights through projects and engaging students in civic action. Erica is the 2022 James Madison Fellow for the state of California and recently earned her master’s degree in American history with an emphasis in constitutional studies. When she’s not teaching, she can be found discussing all things history related with her spouse, who is also a history teacher, or shuttling her kids around to their various activities.
Elizabeth Colen Mooney is an eighth-grade humanities teacher at Gateway Middle School in San Francisco. With a passion for education and a commitment to fostering critical thinking, Elizabeth is a founding member of Gateway Middle School. She holds a B.A. in social studies and an M.A. in education, both from Whittier College, and achieved National Board Certification in Secondary Social Science. Beyond the classroom, Elizabeth served as an independent contractor and consultant with Facing History and Ourselves, contributing to curricula, facilitating workshops, and leading the Middle School Consortium. When she’s not teaching, Elizabeth enjoys exploring San Francisco with her two daughters and finding time for her hobbies of reading and running.
Jessica Fagen is KQED’s Youth Media and Curriculum Specialist. Before coming to KQED, Jessica taught English and Ethnic Studies in the Oakland Unified School District, where she brought her passion for media literacy to her classroom. She currently writes curricula, supports educators, and works directly with students on projects that elevate youth voice. Jessica holds an M.A. in education from UC Berkeley.
Rachel Roberson is an experienced teacher leader and curriculum content developer who has served as a classroom teacher and administrator at public, charter, and international schools. Rachel specializes in professional learning facilitation and curriculum development, strategy, and implementation. At KQED, she works to connect educators and students to KQED online education sites, KQED Teach and the Youth Media Challenge, by creating humanities curricula and professional learning content, supporting product development, championing youth-created media in and out of the classroom, and leading projects and partnerships focused on teachers and classrooms. Rachel is a graduate of Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, received her California teaching credential in secondary English and social studies from Mills College, and has a Master of Arts in Teaching Leadership from St. Mary’s College of California.
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
Join the K-12 Social Studies and Civics community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
KQED is a nonprofit, public media station and NPR and PBS member station based in San Francisco. As a leader in media innovation, KQED provides free, standards-aligned classroom content and professional development that educators can trust. Our workshops and courses help educators in all roles, subjects, and grades strengthen their media literacy skills, empower youth voices, and encourage civil discourse.
Presented by Erica Shaw, High School History Teacher at the College Now Program, Mt. Diablo Unified School (CA); Elizabeth Colen Mooney, 8th Grade Humanities Teacher, Gateway Middle School (CA); Jessica Fagen, Former Educator, Youth Media and Curriculum Specialist, KQED; and Rachel Roberson, Former Educator, Senior Program Manager, Education Content, KQED
Sponsored by KQED Education
Watch the Introduction and Audio Demo Watch the Middle and High School BreakoutsLearn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
Welcome to this hands-on workshop, where we unpack the just-released curriculum from KQED Education, Podcasting Democracy: Understanding the Constitution to Inspire Civic Change. You have the opportunity to start creating your own civic audio commentary content to serve as a model for your students. The workshop explores fresh approaches to teaching democracy fundamentals, connecting the founding documents to real life while building students’ civic voice. The edWebinar features two of the social studies educators who co-created the unit, along with KQED’s Jessica Fagen and Rachel Roberson. They share the pilot program’s impact on student learning, motivation, and civic engagement. This free curriculum includes standards-aligned content modules for middle school U.S. history and high school government/civics and history classes.
After a brief introduction, attendees broke into two workshops—one for high school and one for middle school. Viewers:
Please note: If you don’t already have a preferred audio recording tool, please create an account on Soundtrap for Education and sign up for a 30-day free classroom trial. If you choose to extend your 30-day trial for the 2026-27 school year, we tell you a no-cost way to do this during the workshop. If you choose not to continue with Soundtrap, your trial expires with no action needed on your part.
This two-hour podcasting workshop is of interest to grades 6-12 teachers, librarians, school leaders, district leaders, and educator technology leaders.
About the Presenters
Erica Shaw is a high school history teacher at the College Now Program, a partnership dual-enrollment program with Mt. Diablo Unified School District and Diablo Valley College. She has been in the classroom for 18 years and loves to teach about the expansion of civil rights through projects and engaging students in civic action. Erica is the 2022 James Madison Fellow for the state of California and recently earned her master’s degree in American history with an emphasis in constitutional studies. When she’s not teaching, she can be found discussing all things history related with her spouse, who is also a history teacher, or shuttling her kids around to their various activities.
Elizabeth Colen Mooney is an eighth-grade humanities teacher at Gateway Middle School in San Francisco. With a passion for education and a commitment to fostering critical thinking, Elizabeth is a founding member of Gateway Middle School. She holds a B.A. in social studies and an M.A. in education, both from Whittier College, and achieved National Board Certification in Secondary Social Science. Beyond the classroom, Elizabeth served as an independent contractor and consultant with Facing History and Ourselves, contributing to curricula, facilitating workshops, and leading the Middle School Consortium. When she’s not teaching, Elizabeth enjoys exploring San Francisco with her two daughters and finding time for her hobbies of reading and running.
Jessica Fagen is KQED’s Youth Media and Curriculum Specialist. Before coming to KQED, Jessica taught English and Ethnic Studies in the Oakland Unified School District, where she brought her passion for media literacy to her classroom. She currently writes curricula, supports educators, and works directly with students on projects that elevate youth voice. Jessica holds an M.A. in education from UC Berkeley.
Rachel Roberson is an experienced teacher leader and curriculum content developer who has served as a classroom teacher and administrator at public, charter, and international schools. Rachel specializes in professional learning facilitation and curriculum development, strategy, and implementation. At KQED, she works to connect educators and students to KQED online education sites, KQED Teach and the Youth Media Challenge, by creating humanities curricula and professional learning content, supporting product development, championing youth-created media in and out of the classroom, and leading projects and partnerships focused on teachers and classrooms. Rachel is a graduate of Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism, received her California teaching credential in secondary English and social studies from Mills College, and has a Master of Arts in Teaching Leadership from St. Mary’s College of California.
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
Join the K-12 Social Studies and Civics community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
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